Fred Talbot convicted of further abuse offences

Fred Talbot, 67, former TV Weatherman and teacher has been convicted of 7 offences against school boys in the 1970’s and 1980’s when he worked as a teacher. He was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment.

Talbot is currently serving a 5 year sentence in England which was imposed in 2015 in Manchester. He was convicted in 2015 for the sexual assault of two boys whilst he worked at Altrincham Grammar School for Boys as a biology teacher.

The Court heard that the abuse took place when Talbot took the school boys on camping and barging trips to the South of Scotland and the Caledonian Canal. He was charged with indecently assaulting 7 teenage boys. His previous convictions for assault also happened on school canal barge trips in the Cheshire area in the mid-1970s.

After a trial lasting 9 days, the Jury took 4 hours to convict Talbot of the 7 of the 9 offences he was facing. His jail sentence will start in August at the end of his current sentence.

Sherriff Nikola Stewart said as she sentenced Talbot, ”Talbot had grossly abused the trust placed in him as a teacher. It is beyond doubt these trips were organised with sexual exploitation of these boys very much in mind. By denying your guilt and insisting on a trial, you put each victim through further trauma. He has shown utter disregard for his duties as a teacher, and the boys he had preyed on had been too embarrassed and disempowered to report the abuse.”

Fraser Gibson, the Procurator Fiscal for South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway, said: “Fred Talbot was in a position of trust and abused that to prey on vulnerable boys. For over 10 years he may well have thought that he had escaped justice but he was wrong and thanks to the courage of his victims in coming forward to report what happened to them is now paying the consequences for his actions. I would urge any victims of sexual crimes, even ones which occurred decades ago, to come forward and report them. They will be treated with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity by the police and our expert prosecutors and we will do all we can to deliver justice.”

Jordans Solicitors representing victims who have suffered abuse as children in schools. We would urge anyone affected to report their allegations to the Police. Where a person abuses their position of trust and commits an act of assault a claim may be possible. We would encourage anyone affected to contact our child abuse solicitors team to pursue a civil claim.